84% of Workers Want a New Job in 2011

Five out of six American workers are dissatisfied with their present job and want to hunt for a new one in 2011. This is a result of the recent survey conducted by Manpower Inc., a Wisconsin-based employment agency. The job-placement survey revealed that about 84% of American workers plan to look for a new position in 2011, a 20% jump from last year’s 60% rate.

The President and Chief Operating Officer for Right Management, a division of Manpower, Douglas Matthews, warned employers to watch out for their workers. He said that the survey result is a wake-up call to employers and how they take care of their employees. “This finding is more about employee dissatisfaction and discontent than projected turnover.”

Industry experts and analysts also affirmed the survey result. Charles Purdy, a career expert at Monster+HotJobs, said that more workers will switch jobs next year. “A lot of people who have jobs are considering looking for new work this year. I don’t know if we’re going to see a huge uptick in the number of jobs, but I do think we’ll see a huge surge in the number of people looking for work, even among people who are already employed.”

Paul Bernard, a veteran executive coach and career management advisor, added that one of the reasons for this upcoming trend is the stagnant compensation and benefits after years of increased work in a company. “A lot of people will be looking because they’re disappointed with their current jobs.” However, Bernard also noted that workers should not leave their jobs too soon given the unstable economy. “People need to have realistic expectations. It could still take 10 months to find a job.”